May

This spring has been full of drama. From CCSC overtimes to shit in unexpected places, Columbia doesn’t seem to be able to agree on anything. Bwog has been here to cover all of the action, whether it’s debates on the value of John JJ’s (*vajj’s) or students suing their school. Here’s a recap of this semester’s highlights, before we peace out for the summer.

Spec columnist and Federalist founder Neil Gorsuch, CC ’88, was nominated (and eventually selected) for the Supreme Court. The only people at Columbia truly happy about this decision was the Fed, which briefly marketed itself as “Columbia’s Only Newspaper Founded By a Supreme Court Justice. Seriously.” Meanwhile at the more local level of government, ESC VP of Policy Sid Perkins, SEAS ’17 tried – and failed – to get Legos installed in Carleton Commons. This failure pissed him off enough to initiate a long resolution on stress culture and student government’s relationship with the administration.

Where are you going? Probably to get a Harvest Bowl at Sweetgreen and watch Great British Bakeoff.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2021?

1) There is a difference between solitude and loneliness. Both are perfectly ok to experience during your time here. I challenge you to seek out the former. This can be through solo walks in Riverside, going to a museum alone, spending the entire day reading a book. As for loneliness- it seems impossible that you could feel alone in New York. But loneliness has its way of tapping you on the shoulder from time to time, and it’s completely normal. Do know that loneliness is not a sign of weakness, and it’s always ok to ask for help when you can’t handle it on your own any longer.

May

Our next Senior Wisdom comes from Joe Milholland – former CCSC Bureau Chief, wearer of excellent socks, purveyor of delicious snacks, and, let’s be honest, the patron saint of Bwog. We wish you a small apartment in a big city with many books, Joe.

Claim to fame: If you count this as a Bwog article, I wrote for 9 of the 17 editors in chief of Bwog, an organization that began when I was 10. For three school years, I went to and reported on every CCSC meeting for three school years straight for Bwog. Also covered Usenate, GSSC, and other student council meetings, along with the occasional Suzanne Goldberg interview.

I also sat on the executive board of the Columbia University Science Ficton Society for two years as treasurer and secretary, wrote several articles for the Blue and White and managed their Facebook page this year, am a Phull and Engorged member of the Philolexian Society, lived on Hartley 8 my first year (H8 4evah!), and, as my greatest achievement at this institution, was briefly listed as part of the “Lion Society of Friends,” along with Nicolas Biekert and Robert Hornsby.

May

After reportedly consulting with advisors, faculty members, students, and the policies of peer institutions, the Columbia College and School of General Studies Committee has updated academic policy in the following ways to “enable all students [to pursue] deep and thoughtful engagement in their academici pursuits, adequate time for extracurricular… opportunities… and a healthy and fulfilling undergraduate experience”:

Students can only take a maximum of 18 credits per semester.

Students can only declare a maximum of two “programs of study” (e.g. two majors or a major and a concentration).

Students pursuing two programs of study can count certain courses towards both programs of study.

Students who have already declared more than two programs of study and/or have created plans for an academic schedule according to the previous policy can petition for exceptions after consulting their advisers and the Director(s) of their respective academic department(s).

May

For our Senior Wisdoms, who else could be wiser but our very own bona fide Tech Man and WordPress extraordinaire, Kevin Chen? As someone who reports to eat prereqs for breakfast, Kevin dishes out advice on 6000-level seminars and bootlegging.

Claim to fame: Once, I calculated that there’s a 1 in 3 chance you’re running my code on your phone right now. If that’s not enough, my photo of pizza rolls is now the first picture Yelp shows for John’s of Times Square. If you ever go there, get the spinach and mozzarella. Those pizza rolls are the best thing ever.

Where are you going? Over the summer, I’ll be working on software to help people take better photos. After that, I’m coming back to Columbia to finish up a master’s in CS. Although I’m not sure how my parents talked me into another year of school, I have recently come to accept it as a fact of my life.More on Kevin after the jump

Study Tip: Always fidgeting and wanting to do something else other than studying? Get in with the middle-school times and get a fidget toy. You can play with these spinning babies and do tricks and thingsies while you bulldoze through your readings.